t utalion ATION ^Pawe^y^Wednesda^^ecembeM^y^W larger forms world’s largest private company - WASHINGTON (AP) — Exxon id .Mobil moved swiftly yesterday conclude their $81 billion merger iu get an doled to end toor® ter federal regulators cleared the with conditions — for the ^creating the world’s largest pri- itelv held oil company. jfrhe merger reunites two of the ggi st remnants of the 1911 gov- ELP WANTEDnnient breakup of John D. Rocke- a, reader; strong, if's Standard Oil empire, inning January 2000 Company ofticials said they ,,, lixp. p/T. itaJd comply with government re- uUioinq. eneigei jiKments that the new oil giant sell 9 (210)865 ' 4638 ■! of its nearly 16,000 gas sta- r ^e"“ : specifically those in the North- tabie au-Kddus 1st, Texas and California, as well as Jb now hiring jpostSBiiery and other assets, nieather Rd. orcaiffil'This settlement should pre- w competition and protect con- Jers from inappropriate and an- Bnpetitive price increases,” ■ral Tl'ade Commission Chair Pitofsky said. pixxon and Mobil have accepted s and conditions specified by 'C and will comply fully and in lely manner,” Exxon Chair Lee DTORCYCLElfinond said in a statement only oars after the FTC gave its condi- 3 i,238 8891 ondl approval to the deal, conclud- PETS 1 y ear * on S rev i ew - r on Northgate hiring a '03-Univ Drive. lackcountry, ride horse fresh mountain airals ob Spend your sum j Camps in Esles fti I, 6M-8/8 Apply at 1 -800-CampFun Within minutes of the FTC ac tion, executives of the two com panies filed papers in New Jersey and Delaware, where Exxon and Mobil had been registered, offi cially creating the new Exxon Mobil, a com pany produc ing 3.8 percent of the world’s oil with 120,000 em ployees and $138 billion in assets. The New York Stock Ex change an nounced that beginning to day, the Exxon and Mobil sym bols would be scrapped, and the new compa ny would be traded under a new Exxon-Mobil symbol, XOM. Shares of Exxon traded at 5:15 p.m. on the New York Stock Ex change at $79.31 1/4, down 6 1/4 cents, while shares of Mobil rose 87 1/2 cents to $104.37 1/2. Without the conditions the FTC imposed, the agency said, the new company would violate an titrust laws and “significantly in jure competition” in some parts of the country. So the commis sioners voted 4-0 to approve a settle ment requiring Exxon, the coun try’s largest oil company, and Mo bil, the second largest, to sell off assets where they dominate markets. The FTC noted Exxon’s and Mobil’s retail market domi nance in the mid-At lantic and Northeast states, in Texas, and in California where in many areas they account ed for 20 percent to 35 percent of the retail gasoline markets. The agency also singled out con cerns about refining operations in California and some shipping termi nals in the Northeast. As a result, the FTC required un der a settlement agreement, also en dorsed by 13 states, that: • Exxon-Mobil within nine months sell 1,740 service station from Virginia to Maine. Exxon must jettison all its sta tions in the six New England states and New York, while Mobil must sell its stations in New Jersey, Pennsyl vania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. • Exxon sell all 360 of its gas sta tions in California as well as a refin ery at Benicia, Calif. • Mobil sell 319 stations in Texas including those in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and College Station. • Mobil sell oil terminals in Boston and Washington D.C. The new company also will have to dispose of some pipeline and oth er assets. No specific buyers were required, and in many cases gasoline will still be marketed with Mobil or Exxon brand names, officials said. “This settlement should preserve competition and protect con sumers from inap propriate and anti competitive price increases” — Robert Pitofsky Federal Trade Commission . Kittens. Cats, Dogs mimal Shelter-77M7S /eimaraners, blues Sg 272.1223. OOMMATES itizens protest government trade ceremony ^ ipEATTLE (AP) — Police in riot gear fired bmbus. r rt S cai?Ante® -ipepper spray in plastic pellets yesterday at . - • |nr;onstrators who blocked streets and forced very m r dupie< S32. : delay in opening ceremonies of the largest ade event ever staged in the United States, roommate "?***'^'•arts of this normally laid-back Pacific —rrp larthwest city almost took on the look of a fi/3uiiiucaiAira attle zone as police confronted protesters iprmg 187.50/mo. cr the chained their bodies together so that of- 789; ' cials’ motorcades could not get through. President Clinton, who had hoped to use leighborhood $275/mo.isM r ie meetings of the 135-nation World Trade ipring summer'OO 3Miir, irganization (WTO) to showcase the benefits vi, "h. .i/3e, sD. ; ff ree trade, told reporters in Washington be- spnnq own btjr«rj re demonstrators took to the streets that Mvas very sympathetic with the concerns pring’00, own bedroom ifV , , , . . . Can Isabella823-6697 eipg expressed by labor unions and environ ed ASAP ownted/bath Dental groups. lem 693-5188$3oo/mo |m think we should strengthen the role and neededfoi sprog.s62.5the interest of labor and environment in our c. Call 822-7281. B trade negotiations” Clinton, who is scheduled to address the WTO ministers today, said. After a three-hour delay in the opening cer emonies, embarrassed WTO officials finally gave up and said they would break for lunch. Opening speeches, to be delivered by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, were being rescheduled. WTO Director General Mike Moore, a for mer prime minister of New Zealand, told the handful of delegates who had managed to get through the protesters and stinging gas clouds, that U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky wanted to apologize for the dis ruptions. “I pass regards of our host, Charlene, to you — her regrets that this is what’s happened,” Moore said. The Clinton administration had picked Washington state, home to exporting giants Boeing and Microsoft, to highlight the impor tance of trade for the U.S. economy. One of every three jobs here are tied to international trade, the most of any state. But the Pacific Northwest also has strong ties to labor unions and environmental ac tivists, and they showed up in large numbers to voice their grievances. In the view of protesters, the WTO puts profits for multinational corporations over oth er concerns, forcing nations to engage in a “race to the bottom” to compete in the global economy with low wages and lax environ mental standards. “We’re going to change WTO or we’re go ing to get rid of WTO,” Teamsters union Pres ident James Hoffa Jr. told an estimated 20,000 union workers and their families assembled at a stadium near the Seattle Space Needle be fore they began what union organizers promised would 1 be a peaceful march. Courts rule unfairness, 9 men hired PITTSBURGH (AP) — City officials have reluctantly agreed to hire nine white men who filed a discrimination lawsuit after they were passed over for jobs as police officers in 1992. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a federal jury’s 1998 decision to award back pay and damages to the men, who said they were victims of reverse dis crimination. All had received high scores on the city’s written examina tion for police candidates and said the city used a subsequent oral test to weed them out. On Monday, the city agreed to offer jobs to the men if they pass physical and psychologi cal exams. The city also will owe them $900,000 in back pay and relat ed charges. City attorney Jacqueline Morrow said the appeals court’s ruling will hamper ef forts to maintain diversity on the police force. “The city was trying to do something it should do — namely, create a police force that reflected the city’s popula tion,” she said. The men’s lawyer, Samuel Cordes, said he expects some of them to enter the police acade my in January. From 1975 to 1991, Pitts burgh police were required by court order to hire equal num bers of white men, white women, black men and black women. The quota system ended af ter a legal challenge by four white male applicants who said the need for such a system had diminished. Fightin ’ Texas Aggie Song.... PLUS SPECIAL GUEST MARK DAVID MANDERS “I’ve seen Dub play all over the world and its rare that you find an entertainer who brings the crowd into their world” Pat Green "... A major force in the future of Texas Music” John Dickson -Texas Music Promotions “...put his CD in your player, crank up the volume...” Charlie Haldeman - Radio Personality needed for spritgin)« route. Willowlck, tiWI spring semester. 5 furnished. $325/(tkm led lor Jan.-May. SMiul iposil, $250/mo. +1131*1 sded for January. Owj mutes from campus. :e David 680-1537. ded for spring. House q >m $245/mo. +1/3bills' 75-7263. eded! 1700sqft. house arage, central heat/ac.i :. bill. Call Paul 822-l5fS| If you can write, edit, design pages, draw, use a camera • • • |Texas A&M’s award-winning student newspaper The Battalion is looking for you. ig or longer, furnished W SPRING ’OO STAFF APPLICATION FORM ration! $285/mo. &1/2ut- /D. 3bdrm/1 bth, {SOW us. ASAP. 680-8968 reded for spring. $25CK '9. aeded for spring. W/D, impus, $300/mo. +1/3* needed 2bdrm/1bth, Or futilities Sharif iu.edu aeded for spring. ParM /3bills. 696-7238 Chris ate for spring. Great W* -2481 Anne. >d for spring. Can mos ities own bdrm. Parkwsj ed spring or longer. 1 , $230/mo. +1/3bills, Mf Name: Phone Number(s): E-mail: Major: Classification: Number of hours you will take in the spring: Expected graduation (semester): If you have another job, what is it: , ro d om 0 i317 P Z.'+S ’ H ° W man y h ° UrS P er Weel-0017). LOCATOR SERVICE tial/ Commercial. M 168. TRAVEL iK 2000 Mazatlan 8 AcF m $369. Reliable TWAH in & Houston. Besl p®'A /! 1.800.SURFS.UP EIGHT LOSS ir the holiday break c 3alth-solution.com Managing, Section, & Asst. Editor Applicants* 1) What are your goals for managing your staff 2) What do you believe is the role of The Battalion? 3) What changes would you make to improve The Bat talion? Pay particular attention to the position for which you’re applying. Staff Applicants* 1) Why do you want to work at The Battalion, and what do you hope to accomplish? 2) What experience do you have that relates to the position for which you are applying? (include classes, seminars, etc.) 3) What changes do you feel would improve the qual ity of The Battalion? (Give special attention to the section for which you’re applying.) v y *Please type your responses on a separate piece of paper, and attach a resume and samples of your work (stories you have written for publications or classes, pages you have designed, photos taken, drawings made, or other creative samples—just show us what you can do. DEADLINES: Wednesday, Dec. I,for editor posi tions, and Monday, Dec. 6, for staff positions. The Battalion 013 (basement) Reed McDonald Bldg. OPENINGS INCLUDE: Please check the position(s) for which you are interested. If you are interested in more than one, num ber them in order of preference with 1 being your top choice. Managing Editor Section Editors Campus __ Community _ Lifestyles and Entertainment Opinion Science & Technology Sports Night News _ Copy Chief Graphics __ Photo Radio News Web News Assistant Editors Opinion Photo Radio Sports Editor Web News Staff News Reporter Science & Technology Reporter Feature Writer Entertainment Writer Sports Writer Columnist Web Designer Radio Reporter Photographer Graphic Artist Cartoonist Page Designer Copy Editor Gain experience, work in a news room equipped with the latest technology, and make new friends. # Drawing Tools # Animation # Images # Sounds Canyour e-mail do this? register and get FREE GoMo stuff Want to be a GoMo Rep? Contact: walter@gomotech.com